"I don't see any talk about impeachment here." As Always Diamond hits it oon the head
[Q]Specter Vows a Close Look at Spy Program
By DOUGLAS JEHL
Published: January 16, 2006
WASHINGTON, Jan. 15 - Senator Arlen Specter, Republican of Pennsylvania, said Sunday that Republicans would not grant President Bush "a blank check" in seeking to determine whether the domestic eavesdropping program that Mr. Bush authorized after the Sept. 11 attacks violated the law.
"Just because we're of the same party doesn't mean we're not going to look at this closely," Mr. Specter said in an appearance on "This Week" on ABC. Mr. Specter is chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, which plans to hold hearings on the matter next month, with witnesses to include Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales.
The program authorized by Mr. Bush bypassed a special federal court whose approval is required under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act for domestic eavesdropping operations. Mr. Specter has said he does not agree with the White House view that Congress effectively authorized the surveillance, which was carried out by the National Security Agency, in a resolution passed shortly after the Sept. 11 attacks.
Mr. Specter said Sunday that he was still considering the question of whether a president might possess special powers under wartime that would have allowed Mr. Bush to circumvent the surveillance act. He said that if Mr. Bush were found to have acted illegally, he would most likely face "a political price" rather than a more severe sanction, in part because of broad support of the administration's antiterrorism efforts.
"I don't see any talk about impeachment here," Mr. Specter said. "I don't think anybody doubts that the president is making a good faith effort here, that he sees a real problem, as we all do, and he's acting in a way that he feels he must."
The timing and scope for any Congressional inquiry into the eavesdropping remains unclear. Mr. Specter is the only chairman who has publicly promised to hold hearings, but he has said his panel will focus on legal questions, not the more highly classified details of the operation.
A date for the Senate Judiciary Committee hearings has not yet been set. In both the Senate and House, the Intelligence Committees are also considering whether to call witnesses to talk about the eavesdropping program.
[/Q]
[Q]Specter Vows a Close Look at Spy Program
By DOUGLAS JEHL
Published: January 16, 2006
WASHINGTON, Jan. 15 - Senator Arlen Specter, Republican of Pennsylvania, said Sunday that Republicans would not grant President Bush "a blank check" in seeking to determine whether the domestic eavesdropping program that Mr. Bush authorized after the Sept. 11 attacks violated the law.
"Just because we're of the same party doesn't mean we're not going to look at this closely," Mr. Specter said in an appearance on "This Week" on ABC. Mr. Specter is chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, which plans to hold hearings on the matter next month, with witnesses to include Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales.
The program authorized by Mr. Bush bypassed a special federal court whose approval is required under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act for domestic eavesdropping operations. Mr. Specter has said he does not agree with the White House view that Congress effectively authorized the surveillance, which was carried out by the National Security Agency, in a resolution passed shortly after the Sept. 11 attacks.
Mr. Specter said Sunday that he was still considering the question of whether a president might possess special powers under wartime that would have allowed Mr. Bush to circumvent the surveillance act. He said that if Mr. Bush were found to have acted illegally, he would most likely face "a political price" rather than a more severe sanction, in part because of broad support of the administration's antiterrorism efforts.
"I don't see any talk about impeachment here," Mr. Specter said. "I don't think anybody doubts that the president is making a good faith effort here, that he sees a real problem, as we all do, and he's acting in a way that he feels he must."
The timing and scope for any Congressional inquiry into the eavesdropping remains unclear. Mr. Specter is the only chairman who has publicly promised to hold hearings, but he has said his panel will focus on legal questions, not the more highly classified details of the operation.
A date for the Senate Judiciary Committee hearings has not yet been set. In both the Senate and House, the Intelligence Committees are also considering whether to call witnesses to talk about the eavesdropping program.
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How could they be running our country?
the bottom line is that fear works, and people are still afraid after 9/11. And if they're not afraid, the Bush administration is always reminding them to be afraid.
Even if Gore had been elected do you think 9/11 would have never happened??? If Gore had been in office, he probably would be doing the same thing. He would "probably" be in Iraq also with the same info Bush recieved. Remember before Invading Iraq, Kerry had said Iraq was a threat, as did Clinton and other Politicians, who then backtracked on what they said.
